Our Mission
We exist to be an evangelical outreach to the local community and to provide a service to families desiring childcare with a Christian emphasis. Our primary objectives are to teach young children about Jesus, provide appropriate play experiences that contribute to the developmental needs of the child, to show St. John's to be a caring part of the community, and to develop intentional evangelistic outreach to children and their families.
Early Achievers
St. John Christian Childcare Center is a part of the Early Achievers program through the Washington state Department of Early Learning. Early Achievers is Washington's quality rating improvement system (QRIS), and helps our center offer a high quality of care to our students and families. Through Early Achievers we are offered coaching and other resources to support each child's learning and development, and demonstrate our high level of commitment to provide quality care and education for young children.
Curriculum
We believe that children learn best through relationships, play, active involvement, engagement, exploration, and the use of all of their senses. Each classroom and teacher provides age-appropriate activities to guide and encourage children toward learning. We understand that every child is unique, so teachers work to construct activities and create areas based on each child’s individual interests and prior knowledge. The majority of learning is through large and small group interaction using Learning Centers; dramatic play, blocks, sensory, manipulatives, science, math, literacy, fine and gross motor development, music, and art.
When planning curriculum, we use the developmental checklist that was adopted from the Washington State Early Learning Developmental Benchmarks and Guidelines. Activities are designed to help children develop physically, socially, intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually. Christian teaching is a part of everything we do.
We also spend time learning about our world to enrich the children’s awareness of our community and its “helpers.” We learn about nature, safety, and healthy habits as well.
Christian stories and teachings are taught and emphasized throughout the day. We provide children with an understanding of Christian values and the assurance of the Lord’s love and forgiveness. Our day starts with prayer, as do our snacks and lunch. The children attend chapel once a week. One of the church staff members shares a Bible story or lesson, as well as music and finger plays.
